Electrical control apparatus for steam-generators.



No. 873,061. PATENTED DEC. 10; 1907.

R. LOMA-X & J. TOMLINSON. ELECTRICAL GDNTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1905.

2 BERT 1. /6

w: rnasssp 11v vii/v r0 RS RALPHJ-OMAX QI HN TDM NJQN 13v THE/R arrp'nnay PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907. R,- LOMAX & J. TOMLINSON. ELECTRICAL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1905.

2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

PALPH L MAX kiwi/v TOML/MS'UN 13f THE/1? Arron/Viv L wnw ESSES FFEQEQ RALPH LOMAX AND JOHN TOMLINSON, OF DARWEN, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR STEAM-GENERATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed July 26, 1905. Serial No. 271.386,

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RALPH LOMAX and JOHN TOMLINSUN, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residents ol' DBJWGII, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Control Apparatus for Stean1-(lcnerators, ol which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical appa-- ratus ehielly for automatically regulating the feed of fuel or the draft in steam generators by means of the rise and fall of steam pressure in the generator, within a predetermined range. v

The invention consists principally in the arrangement of such apparatus for the purpose of varying the strength of the electric current to be used for directly or indirectly controlling the fuel teed, the damper or the air blast mechanism.

\Yhen an automatic mechanical stoker is used, this may be driven by an electric mo tor and in that case the speed 01'' such motor can be regulated by bringing in and cutting out resistances; or it may be driven by a steam, internal combustion or other suitable motor and the current be employed to act in any suitable known way, for instance by means of electro-magnets, upon the throttle valve, The damper may in a similar manner be operated upon, or the draft when forced be regulated by varying the speed ol a fan or blower in any of the well known ways.

in carrying out this invention, we employ a column of mercury which is acted upon directly by the pressureiof steam in the generator and which acts as the primary mechanical element by which the current is controlled. This column as it rises and falls with the variations in the steam pressure closes and opens successively ditl'erent circuits by direct contact of the mercury with contact surfaces, the mercury forming part of the s eed controlling circuit. The current in eacli ol" the said circuits is used to excite a separate elcctro magnet, each of which actuates a separate switch adapted to include or exclude a resistance with reference to the main current driving the electric device which controls the steam generation.

The drawing attaclmd hereunto shows in Figure 1 a diagrammatic plan of the system or arrangement; Fig. 2 shows a sectional eleva- ,tion of the mercury contact arrangement;

Fig. 3 shows a plan of the apparatus for bringing in and cutting out the resistances; Fig. 4 a front elevation and Fig. 5 a part cross'seotional view of the same.

in the arrangement shown in the drawings the current for exciting the magnets is a separate one; mercury cup corrtact devices are used and constitute parfiof the main circuit to be controlled and, as one or more than one resistance is brought in, are cut out successively until all the resistances are brought in.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings, 1 represents a siphon tube which is preferably of small bere say about one quarter inch and is inserted into the main steam pipe 2 of the generator, This tube is ol' a length suitable to the maximum pressure of the steam in the generator. The upper end of the tube provided with a continua tion 3 of some suitable nonoonducting n1aterial, for instance vulcanized fiber, and this continuation has preferably a somewhat smaller bore than the main tube and is secured to the latte in any suitable manner; for instance it may be screwed directly into it. In the continuation tube are pierced a numberiol small holes 4 at suitable intervals apart in the vertical direction and the holes are plugged or covered upon the outside of the tube with metal so as to form sub l ace contacts 5. 1n the drawing these shown in the form of split metal clips which are tightened upon the tube over the holes by means of screws in the well known way, To each of these clips is connected a separate insulated conductor, the number of clips and conductors shown on the drawing being 6, the conductors being numbered 6 to 11. The contacts 5 are Well insulated from one another and in order to maintain the insulation and to shield the connections the latter I and the continuation or fibe'r tube 3 are inclosed in a sleeve 12 of metal which is carried by the tube 1. Each conductor 6 to 11 carried through a separate hole in the sleeve as shown, or the conductors may be bunch together and carried through onehole. T

sleeve is then filled in with some such insulating material as parafiin wax Above the sleeve is lined a cap 13 carrying a tubul r c tension 14 preferably of larger here than ti tube 1 and at the top of the part 14: it; o a cup 15 provided with an overflow pipein which the motor to tor the mercury. The extension Li and cup are preferably of sullicient capacity to receive all the mercury in the tube in the event of abnormal pressure being: produced in the generator. yided so that each of the several circuits 6 to ll of the elcctronnagnets is completed through the tube 1 containing the mercury by means of the sleeve l2, cap 13, tube 1%, terminal 1%; and conductor 17, in the circuit of which is located the source of the current represented by a? ".lhe electro n'ragncts are arranged in six pairs represented by 19, 20, 21, .22, 23, 24, and each pair is wound in. the usual way, one end of each Winding being connected to the conductor 17 and the other end 21E) of the same to the respective conductors (j to ll. The armature L2? is pivotally iixed at 2b above the cores 39 in each. pair/cl magnets,

.and extends upon, both sides of the l'ulcruili.

At the outer end 500i each armature, a i'nctal l'orl; 3i hinged so to' bang freely and forms part of the mercurial contact device for bringing in and cutlingout the istances. The other part of said device conoli a pair ol. cups arrangcd'so that the prongs of the fork can dip into the pair. There is thus a pair ol'i cups for each pair oi" elcctro-magneis. .l lach cup 32 is partly lilled with mercury represeni ed by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 and normally, when the pair of magnets is not excited, theforkedend of the armature 27 dips into the mercury, the armature being w :ghted at that, end so that/it makes contact automatically. Each said pair ol cups 32 is connected to'the next pair shown by a conductor 34. The conductor along with the mercury 33 and cups form part of the main circuit of the electric generator indicated by the signs at 36,

be controlled reprein Fig. l is located. In the circuit 235 are arranged thrrequired number oi resistances. These are rcpresei-ited by 38, 39, d0, 41. l) and 2'3 From the ends of the re 1' noes 38 to 42 a lnrauch conductor 44 is led so as to complete the circuits through the several pairs oi cups 1). 0, 1, c, andf and another branch 45 liOlll the puirf.

' he terminal for the first resistance 38 is at sented by b? 4:6 and when the mercury in the tube 1' has risen into contact with the contactclip 5 of thccircuitl), the current passes along the latter and the clectro-n'iagneis 19 are excited, the arn'iature :2 in; the fork 31. out of the pair'aoi cups 32 thus cutting out the first pair (IV of the cups and cmnpclling the current to pass through the resistance 38 and the remaining pairs of cups. When the mercury has risen to the contact clip 5 of the circuit 7. the second pair 5) ol' cups has been cut out and the resistance 3) brought into the circuit and as the mercur'y in the tube 1 rises, the remaining pairs A terminal connection 18 pro- 7 of that pair than withdrawi l i i i, i

amour 43 successively (Z, c, andf are successively cutout and the to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is.

1. An electrical apparatus for controllingv the strength of the current in a main electric circuit by means of the rise and fall of the pressure in steam gene 'ators, consisting of a series of resistanccs adapted to be brought into and cut out of said main circuit; a second electric circuit a column of mercury in a tube connnunicating with the steam generator, and included in said second electric circuit a series of insulated contacts in said tube adapted to be successively brought into and cut out or said second circuit by the movement of the column of mercury under varying pressure and switches electrically operated by means of said contacts and adapted to bring said resistances successively into said main circuit as the steam pressure rises and to cut them out as the steam pressure falls.

An electrical apparatus for controlling the strength of the current in a main electric circuit by means of the rise and fall of the prcssurein a steam generator, consisting of a series of resistances adapted to be brought into or cut out of said main circuit, a second electric circuita column ofmercury in a tube communicating with the steam genera tor and included in. said second electric circuit a series of surface contacts in said tube one above the other adapted to be brought 7 into and cut out of said second circuit by the. movcmentof the column of mercury under varying steam pressures, and insulated-from said tube, the number of said contacts being the same as that of'said resistances; an elec' fro-magnet for each contact in conductive connection therew1th and adapted to be brought into said second circuit as the men cury column makes contact with the res ectivc surface contact 3 an arniaturo l'or ear 1 0i? said magnets, and a make and break switch lor each of said magnets adapted to be operated by its armature so as to bring one of I said resistances into the main circuit, and cut it out therefrom as the steam pressure rises and falls.

3. An electrical apparatus for controllirug, the pressure in steam generators consisting of a motor, a series of resistances adapted to be brought into or cut out of the circuit of said motor; a second electric circuit a column of mercury in a tube communicating with the steam generator and inciuded in said second electric circuit; a series of surface contacts in said tube one above the other adapted to be brought intoand cut out of said second circuit by the movement of the column of 1nercury. under the variation of the steam'pressure and insulated from said tube, the num' each magnet adapted to be operated by its armature and to bring one of said resistances into said main circuit and cut it out therefrom as the steam pressure rises and falls.

4. The combination of a pipc, a mercury -column therein under steam pressure, a se ries of contacts insulated from each other and located in the path of the mercury, said contacts forming terminals of independent circuits, a separate electro magnet in each circuit a separate switch actuated by each one of said magnets an additional circuit, a

series of resistances for bcin r cut into or out of said additional circuit which is independentof those already mentioned, and'a device for controlling the steam generation, and regulated by the current in the last named circuit,'so as to reduce or increase the steam generationwhcn the current is reduced or increased.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

' RALPH LOMAXJ JNO. TOMLINSON. Witnesses:

RIDLEY J. URQUIIART, CARL BoLLr'i. 

